Behind the Scenes of Episode 3 of Season 5
Hunting an alligator wasn't something that i would say was on my bucket list but when our friend Brett Will with Swivelimb Treestands asked if we wanted to tag along on a gator hunt in Louisiana with Hunting' Cajun Enterprises I wasn't about to say no. I was joined by staffer Daniel Arms, Brett, Kieth Wendt, as well as Steve Quisenberry and Tyler Tate with Born To Kill Bowfishing. Normally on trips, I am the point man, I wasn't on this one. I had never spoken to the guide, I was just along for the ride. Now, I travel and speak at Wildgame Dinners and other events around the country and get comments on my "Okie" accent. When we met our guide Reggie aka Gator Reggie I had no clue what he said for the first 15 minutes of our conversation. I just smiled and tried my best to read his body language as to know what to say or do in response. No doubt Reggie is from the swamp.
We met Reggie on the first day of the hunt and headed out armed with cameras and a rusty old .22 rifle. The first line we came to had a gator and the action started! The kill zone on a gator is small and the reason for the small caliber is to save as much hide and meat as possible. If you miss that small kill zone the gator will only be stunned and he might just wake back up and he won't be happy. We learned this lesson from experience. Nothing will make a 270lb man move quicker than a 6ft gator you thought was dead spinning around hissing at you. A follow up shot did the trick and we moved on. All in all, the hunt with Gator Reggie was incredible. The deep swamps of south central Louisiana are breathtaking. The hunting was incredible. We were able to tag 16 gators in two days and make unbelievable memories none of us will ever forget.
Beside the hunt we also went to Scientific Testing Labs in Baton Rouge, an TMA (Treestands Manufacturers Association) certified testing facility and we got to see how they test the treestands and safety harnesses we hunt from. Pretty amazing how it all works and the measures taken to assure products work properly. All I can say is, if a stand isn't TMA certified, don't buy it! It's just not worth it.
The devotion for the episode related to the fact that the gators are dangerous because they lay and wait for there prey. Romans 6:23 reminds us that sin is also deadly. We must be aware of the danger of sin and avoid falling for it's temptations. The only thing that can save us from our sins is Jesus Christ. If you don't know him today, we hope you will seek Him out!
If you misses episode 3, here is the full episode!
